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Monday, July 23, 2012

Tuesday's Tip - The Obituaries Aren't Always Right!

Fond du Lac Commonwealth Reporter, 24MAY1927

The Campbellsport News
26OCT1922

So I visited the Wisconsin Historical Society in June. It was a long day and I was so absorbed in my research that I forgot to eat or drink the entire time I was there (fellow genealogists can understand this completely) and by 4:00pm my head and stomach were starting to hurt so it was time to start the 2-1/2 hour drive back to Green Bay (construction...yuck!). By the time I got back, my head was a little better, but I couldn't bring myself to look at any of my finds until the next morning.

Now maybe I'm wrong to not be looking at my finds as I get them, but honestly I don't. I get to the WHS once, maybe twice, a year if I'm lucky and by then I've got tons to look up. In fact, I didn't get through everything I wanted to yesterday, but I did get through 3/4 of it. Saturday morning as I sat down with my coffee and my printouts I showed my mother-in-law the obituaries for her great grandparents, William and Katherine Boegel nee Melzer. I was bummed about the fact that Katherine's was scanned from a newspaper that was apparently bound and her obit was on the inside edge so part of it is unreadable, but we enjoyed looking at them, and then I noticed it....

The Campbellsport News
26MAY1927

In both Katherine and William's obituaries it states that they were preceded in death by their spouse. Did I have the wrong Katherine or William? I was confused and concerned. I pulled both obituaries with dates that I had from their tombstone and they were on the same tombstone! I found it hard to believe that there were two Katherine or William Boegels that died on the same day in the same town. I then compared the rest of the obituary. Same kids. Same wedding date. The newspaper had made a mistake. I'm sure Katherine must have been delighted when reading her husband's obituary that she died years before. She may have felt like it at the time, but I assure you she was quite alive.

I know those of us that have been researching our families (or other families) for more than a hot second, already know that obituaries, death certificates, etc can have mistakes in them, but the death of a spouse in the obituary is certainly something that many of us might have used to at least narrow down a date of death for the other if it was still unknown.

Taking a line from The X-Files, "The truth is out there," we just need to figure it out amidst the details that may be leading us astray.

3 comments:

Love your writing! I've missed it! I just (finally!!!) got internet and cable at my place. So now that I can sit down, with a beer, and actually ENJOY being on a computer, I can finally catch up on your blog. I wish I could have met you in Madison again. Maybe Christmas! Keep up the hard work with your genealogy and keep up the great write-ups. Love ya! ~ Care

Cheryl,I especially enjoyed this post. I've had numerous examples of printed materials containing errors -- especially Death Certificates! I NEVER trust a death certificate without really trying to find supportive documentation. Love your line from the X-files.